The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-08
TO BEAUTIFY THE SPOT.
The Reason For Removing the Old
South Broad Street Cemetery.

The Reason For Removing the Old
South Broad Street Cemetery.
The action of the County Commissioners
in calling upon the Solicitor General to
frame bill vesting the title to the cemetery
lot in Chatham county has revived the old
cemetery fight and brought into it some
neg points. A number of people have in
guiFed why the Commissioners will ask the
Legislature for the cemetery and what the
Legislature has to do with it. The gem
eral impression is that the city
owns the old cemetery and that the
Legislature has no jurisdiction over it, and
that opinion has been expressed by some of
the leading lawyers Of this city, but upon
investigating the matter they found that
the State is the owner Of the property, hav-
ing acquired it by its succession to the
British crown. BY the State 1t was set aside
for the use of the city as a cemetery, and as
soon as the city ceased TO Use it for that pur-
pose the title reverted to the State, and that
is the reason the Commissioners viii ask the
Legislature to vest the title in the county.
THE OPPOSING FORCES LEssENED.
There are not so many opponents to the
plan to utilize the site for the new court
house as there WERE for the spot has long
been an eyesore, and public sentiment is now
decidedly in favor Of getting rid Of it. If
the Commissioners carry out their design a
beautiful structure will be reared upon the
site, and the remaining ground will be laid
out as public park that will add beauty to
the city and be a credit to the community.
AS it Is. the old brick wall is an ugly sight
itself, and the interior is so overgrown with
weeds and brush that it is almost impossible
to make ones way through it or find any
particular grave. 1t is a wild jungle that
is not at all becoming in the heart of one of
the most active cities in the South.
PENDING LITIGATION.
Although there were a number of people
, who were opposed to the utilization Of the
cemetery when the question was brought
up before there were not many who would
participate in the legal steps taken to pre-
vent any encroachment upon the premises.
| The city started 20 move the Abercorn
| street wall back seven feet, because the city
| ordinance calls for fourteen-foot sidewalk
on Abercorn street. and when work was be-
| gun abont twenty people Joined
| in petition to the Superior Court for an
injunction. After this petition was filed
| Christ Church entered a claim ~ por-
ton of the property. A temporary injunc-
ton was granted and the cases are now
pending, but in spite of the smallness of
number of people who signed the petition
and opposed the movement then there are
fewer today
| WHO THE OPPONENTS ARE.
Those who oppose it now are some of the
| older residents who have relations buried
there, but there are not many dead in the
cemetery who have living relations Many
of the bodies lying there are the
remains of Englishmen who died
here in an early day, and the
| friends and relations Of most of the
others who are there have died themselves
or moved away. The Others, whose rela-
/ tions DO live here, have most Of them been
| reburied there after being once removed
| Most of the Catholics were removed
| to the Catholic cemetery when that
was established but when Sherman came
| here and drew his army around the city the
| lines passed through the Catholic cemetery,
and TO prevent the graves from being desc
Grated many of the bodies were disinterrcd
and taken back TO the old cemetery where
| they have remained ever since
A MEMORIAL CHAPEL SUGGESTED.
Capt John Dillon has made a suggestion
as to the disposition OF the unknown bodies,
in case the cemetery is used for the Court
| House that will probably silence ali oppoSi-
| ton TO the movement IL is that the
| County shall erect memorial chapel ar
ranged with number of vaults beneath the
floor, and that when each grave
| is opened the remains shall
| be placed in neat casketS
and removed to these vaults, keeping as full
| and compicte q record Of each rs can he OBJ
tanned. This will he an appropriate and
respectful manner of caring For the dead
and viii leave the ground fires for uses for
which it is needed. and at the same time re
move a sight that is repulsive TO both citi-
zens and strangers.